M2.9 earthquake 39km WSW of Lompoc, CA
A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 39km WSW of Lompoc, CA on Sun, Oct 20, 1940, 2:18 PM GMT-8 (22:18 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.8 14km S of Isla Vista, CA. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 2.9 (ml), micro
- Local time
- UTC
- 1940-10-20 22:18:45 UTC
- Depth
- 6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 34.523° N, 120.865° W
- Region
- California
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 28.6 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.14
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 356°, poorly surrounded by stations
- Stations used
- 3
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3365481. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:10 AM UTC.